Dr. Harry sent me this
in the name of Rabbi Avi Shvat Shlita: In my previous
e-mail I discussed the erroneous, popular, new age concept that G-d is equal
everywhere, and all paths and religions are the same.

If all religions and everything is holy, why
does G-d consider the Sabbath a special, unique day of holiness? If all people
and religions are holy, why was Israel chosen as G-d's special people, with the
Kohanim (priests) blessed with additional holiness? If every land is holy, why
did G-d choose Zion as a place for his habitation? Why were the Jews singled
out, and told to separate themselves as G-d's holy people? Why did G-d choose
Israel as His resting place forever, where he will dwell because He desires it?
Why did G-d choose Ya'akov for Himself, Israel as his special possession? Why
when a Jew does a mitzvah is it different and more holy than when a gentile
does a mitzvah? Why is a mitzvah and prayer performed in Israel worth 20 times
more than if done abroad? Why is there only prophecy in the Land of Israel, or
for her sake?

Let me just say that if you or your Rabbi don’t know the answers
to this, one will have to undergo a big Tikkun.

Parsha Beshalach

Avoiding war is a hallmark of Yisrael throughout the centuries and
freed slaves are not the group to start conquests without military training. It
is no wonder that HASHEM circumvented the route to Eretz Yisrael until the
people were to be readied for war. It is not easy to handle freed slaves. They
have been used to getting food for work and beaten and now nobody beats them
and nobody hands them food. It is easy to say HASHEM will provide but will HE?
Some of the stories in this week’s Parsha are repeated in Sefer Bamindbar in
more details such as the “Slav” or quail coming to be eating for 30 days and
the water story there may be different but the people and their complaints are
the same. This week which always occurs around Tu B’Shevat contains Parsha Ha
Mann. (Manna)

13:17 And
it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not by
the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said:
'Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to
Egypt.'

Contemplate this: During the fleeing from Egypt 600 chariots and
horses are pursing 600,000 foot soldiers. Take 1000 men per chariot and
over-power them with a bit of a difficulty but not that much difficulty. But no
they are used to be servants to these 600 masters. They cannot comprehend doing
battle with the Egyptians.

18 But
God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea; and the
children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.

They went out armed.

19 And
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him; for he had straightly sworn the
children of Israel, saying: 'God will surely remember you; and ye shall carry
up my bones away hence with you.'

Moshe personally worried to take the bones.

For he had adjured:
Heb. הִֹשְבִּיעַ הַֹשְבֵּעַ. [The double
expression indicates that] he [Joseph] had made them [his brothers] swear that
they would make their children swear (Mechilta). Now why did he not make his
sons swear to carry him to the land of Canaan immediately [when he died], as
Jacob had made [him] swear? Joseph said, “I was a ruler in Egypt, and I had the
ability to do [this]. As for my sons-the Egyptians will not let them do [it].”
Therefore, he made them swear that when they would be redeemed and would leave
there [Egypt], they would carry him [out]. — [from Mechilta] And you shall
bring up my bones from here with you: He made his brothers swear in this
manner. We learn [from this] that the bones of all [the progenitors of] the
tribes they brought up [out of Egypt] with them as it is said “with you” -[from
Mechilta]

20 And
they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the
wilderness. 21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to
lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; that
they might go by day and by night: 22 the pillar of cloud by day, and the
pillar of fire by night, departed not from before the people.

14:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 'Speak unto the
children of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between
Migdol and the sea, before Baal-zephon, over against it shall ye encamp by the
sea. 3 And Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel: They are entangled in
the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

The ones who say that they got to Nuweba one can agree
there was no way to move or flee north so that would make Baal-zephon a rock
that did not allow them to flee north towards Eretz Yisrael. This is a road-map
of the area and they would have had to flee into the Egyptians to flee further
or the Sea. http://www.alternativeegypt.com/Maps/Map-Gulf-of-Aqaba.htmlNow for
Rashi’s commentary:

4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he shall follow after
them; and I will get Me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; and the
Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.' And they did so.

When Pharaoh sent his army in after the Bnei Yisrael,
did he survive or did he die? There is sort of Midrashic dispute. After what is
about to happen it would be centuries until Israel came in contact again with
Mitzrayim.

And I will be glorified
through Pharaoh: When the Holy One blessed
be He wreaks vengeance upon the wicked, His name becomes magnified and
glorified. So it [Scripture] says: “And I will judge against him, etc.” and
afterwards [the prophet says], “And I will magnify and sanctify Myself and I
will be known, etc.” (Ezek
38:22, 23) And [Scripture similarly] says: “There he broke the arrows
of the bow,” [which refers to Sennacherib’s defeat,] and afterwards [i.e., the
result of that], “God is known in Judah” (Ps.
76:2,4) And [Scripture similarly] says: “The Lord is known for the
judgement that He performed” (Ps.
9:17). — [from Mechilta] Through Pharaoh and through
his entire force: He [Pharaoh] initiated the
sinful behavior, and [thus] the retribution started with him. — [from Mechilta]
And they did so: [This is stated] to tell
their praise, that they obeyed Moses and did not say, “How will we draw near to
our enemies [by returning in the direction of Egypt]? We have to escape.” Instead
they said, “All we have are the words of [Moses] the son of Amram.” [I.e., we
have no other plan to follow, only the words of the son of Amram.]-[from
Mechilta]

5 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people were fled; and
the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned towards the people, and
they said: 'What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving
us? 6 And he made ready his chariots, and took his people with him. 7 And he
took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains
over all of them.

Think about the fact that the economy was based on
slave labor and so much so that it pays to put the army together to go bring
back the slaves and this is only after all the 10 Makkos that Egypt was hit
with economically.

8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he
pursued after the children of Israel; for the children of Israel went out with
a high hand. 9 And the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and
chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them
encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. 10 And when
Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold,
the Egyptians were marching after them; and they were sore afraid; and the
children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.

They are afraid of being killed! But in truth they have
nothing to fear but the return to the previous status (aka status quo ante).
They cannot understand Pharaoh’s thoughts. He might want to kill Moshe, Aaron
and a few others and maybe the small group of fighters but not the bulk of the
slaves.

11 And they said unto Moses: 'Because there were no graves in
Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou
dealt thus with us, to bring us forth out of Egypt? 12 Is not this the word
that we spoke unto thee in Egypt, saying: Let us alone, that we may serve the
Egyptians? For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we
should die in the wilderness.'

The doom and gloom people with slave mentalities did
not want to leave their flesh pots in Egypt as they were essentially happy
being slaves and getting their meals. Freedom and working for their food
independently as they had grown used to the Pharaoh welfare and food stamp
system.

13 And Moses said unto the people: 'Fear ye not, stand still, and
see the salvation of the LORD, which He will work for you to-day; for whereas
ye have seen the Egyptians to-day, ye shall see them again no more forever. 14
The LORD will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.'

You will be free of and from Egypt and never will worry
about them in the future. HASHEM will fight for you and you will be free.

15 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Wherefore do you unto Me? speak
unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.

Moshe was praying and HASHEM told him this is not a time for prayer but
for action.

16 And lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the sea,
and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on
dry ground.

Moshe’s rod could only be used by Aaron for the river
to do something bad but to make a miracle and a Kiddush HASHEM, Moshe is
allowed to use his rod.

17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and
they shall go in after them; and I will get Me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all
his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall
know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten Me honor upon Pharaoh, upon his
chariots, and upon his horsemen.'

The Mitzrim are about to see the war powers of HASHEM
and the Bnei Yisrael are about to see a miracle that eclipses the 10 Makkos.

19 And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel,
removed and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud removed from before them,
and stood behind them;

They started shooting arrows and spears into the cloud
and the cloud shot the arrows and spears back at them.

And went behind them:
to separate between the Egyptians’ camp and the Israelites’ camp and to catch
the arrows and the catapult stones of the Egyptians. Everywhere it says: “the
angel of the Lord (ה),” but here [it
says]: “the angel of God (אֱלֹהִים).” Everywhere [in
Scripture] אֱלֹהִים denotes [God’s
attribute of] judgment. This teaches that at that moment, the Israelites were
being judged whether to be saved or to perish with the Egyptians. And the
pillar of cloud moved away: When it became dark, and the pillar of cloud
delivered the camp to the pillar of fire, the cloud did not go away as it would
customarily go away completely in the evening, but it moved away and went
behind them [the Israelites] to make it dark for the Egyptians.

20 and it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel;
and there was the cloud and the darkness here, yet gave it light by night
there; and the one came not near the other all the night.

And he came between the
camp of Egypt: This can be compared to a
person walking along the road with his son walking in front of him. [When]
bandits came to capture him [the son], he [the father] took him from in front
of him and placed him behind him. A wolf came behind him; so he put him [his
son] in front of him. [When] bandits came in front of him and wolves behind
him, he put him [his son] on his arms and fought them off. Similarly [the
prophet depicts the angel protecting Israel when they drew near to the Red
Sea], “But I sent to train Ephraim, he took them on his arms” (Hos.
11:3). — [from Mechilta] And there were the cloud
and the darkness: for the Egyptians. And
it illuminated: [I.e.,] the pillar of fire
[illuminated] the night for the Israelites, and it went before them as it
usually went all night long, and the thick darkness [from the cloud] was toward
the Egyptians. And one did not draw near
the other: [I.e., one] camp to [the other] camp. — [from
Mechilta, Jonathan]

21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD
caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea
dry land, and the waters were divided.

Last year I brought down that at a certain steady wind
speed of perhaps 40mph at even an average Sinai Temperature for late March or
early April would cause the water to freeze on the left and the right and as
the morning came as the winds died down before dawn, the Mitzrim would follow
into the Yam while it was parted and the ice melting that would get the wheels
of the chariots stuck in thawing out mud.

22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon
the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and
on their left.

A wall of ice on the right and on the left. One can see
that at times in photos of the Artic and Antarctic where waves freeze in
wind-chills.

23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the midst
of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And it
came to pass in the morning watch, that the LORD looked forth upon the host of
the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of cloud, and discomfited the host
of the Egyptians. 25 And He took off their chariot wheels, and made them to
drive heavily; so that the Egyptians said: 'Let us flee from the face of
Israel; for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.'

They realized that HASHEM Shofet Ha Aretz (JUDGE of the
world) was fighting for the Bnei Yisrael and they were the Rashaim (wicked
ones). With this realization WHOM they were up against, they began to flee. I
have always wondered if some did such Teshuva that they could make it back and
recount a Kiddush HASHEM for future Egyptian Generations or that they all died
and only a straggler or two of the foot soldiers survived?

26 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Stretch out thy hand over the
sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and
upon their horsemen.' 27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and
the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians
fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, even all
the host of Pharaoh that went in after them into the sea; there remained not so
much as one of them.

I asked before if somebody repented from the stragglers
but the main chariot soldiers all perished.

29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of
the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their
left. 30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians;
and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea-shore. 31 And Israel saw the great
work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD; and
they believed in the LORD, and in His servant Moses.

This is a special thing that happened that the people
really believed.

15:1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the
LORD, and spoke, saying: I will sing unto the LORD, for He is highly exalted;
the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.

Because of the future tense some people call this the
resurrection of the dead in times to be others call it Gilgul Neshamos or
reincarnation.

Then…sang: Heb.
אָז יָשִׁיר. [The future tense presents a problem.
Therefore, Rashi explains:] Then, when he [Moses] saw the miracle, it occurred
to him to recite a song, and similarly, “Then Joshua spoke (אָז יְדַבֵּר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ)” (Josh.
10:12); and similarly, “and the house [which] he would make (יַעֲשֶׂה) for Pharaoh’s daughter” (I Kings 7: 8),
[which means] he decided to make it for her. Here too, יָשִׁיר
[in the future tense means that] his heart dictated to him that he should sing,
and so he did, “and they spoke, saying, I will sing to the Lord.’ ” Likewise,
with [the above reference to] Joshua, when he saw the miracle [of the defeat of
the Amorite kings (Josh. 10:11)],
his heart dictated to him that he speak [praises to God], and so he did, “and
he said in the sight of Israel” (Josh.
10:12). Likewise, the song of the well, with which [Scripture]
commences: “Then Israel sang (אָז יָשִׁיר)”
(Num. 21:17),
it explains after it, “Ascend, O well!, sing to it.” [I.e., in these three
instances, the “yud” of the future tense denotes the thought, and after each
one, Scripture continues that the thought was brought to fruition.] “Then did
Solomon build (אָז יִבְנֶה) a high place” (I
Kings 11:7); the Sages of Israel explain that he sought
to build [it] but did not build [it] (Sanh. 91b). We [thus] learn that the
“yud” may serve to indicate a thought. This is to explain its simple meaning,
but the midrashic interpretation is [as follows]: Our Rabbis of blessed memory
stated: From here is an allusion from the Torah to the resurrection of the dead
(Sanh. 91b, Mechilta), and so it is [i.e., the future tense is used] with them
all, except that of Solomon, which they explained as [implying] “he sought to
build but did not build.” One cannot say and explain this form like other words
written in the future, but which mean [that they occurred] immediately, such as
“So would Job do (וָעִשֶׂה)” (Job
1:5); “by the command of the Lord would they encamp (יַחֲנוּ)” (Num. 9:23);
“And sometimes the cloud would be (יִהְיֶה)”
(Num. 9:21),
because that is [an example of] something that occurs continually, and either
the future or the past is appropriate for it, but that which occurred only once
[i.e., the song that was sung], cannot be explained in this manner. — For
very exalted is He: Heb. גָאֹה גָאָה, [to be interpreted] according to the
Targum [He was exalted over the exalted, and the exaltation is His]. Another
explanation: [The] doubling [of the verb] comes to say that He did something
impossible for a flesh and blood [person] to do. When he fights with his fellow
and overwhelms him, he throws him off the horse, but here, “a horse and its rider
He cast into the sea,” [i.e., with the rider still on the horse]. Anything that
cannot be done by anyone else is described as exaltation (גֵּאוּת), like “for He has performed an exalted act (גֵּאוּת)” (Isa. 12:5).
Similarly, [throughout] the entire song you will find the repetitive pattern,
such as: “My strength and my praise are the Eternal, and He was my salvation”
(verse 2); “The Lord is a Master of war; the Lord is His Name,” (verse 3); and
so on, all of them (in an old Rashi). Another explanation: גָאֹה גָאָה means for He is exalted beyond all songs,
[i.e.,] for however I will praise Him, He still has more [praise]. [This is]
unlike the manner of a human king, who is praised for something he does not
possess. — [from Mechilta] A horse and its rider: Both
bound to one another, and the water lifted them up high and brought them down
into the depths, and [still] they did not separate. — [from Mechilta] He
cast: Heb. רָמָה,
[meaning] He cast, and similarly, “and they were cast (וּרְמִיו)
into the burning, fiery furnace” (Dan.
3:21). The aggadic midrash, however, [states as follows]: One verse
(verse 1) says: רָמָה בַיָם, [derived from רוּם, meaning “to cast up,”] and one verse
(verse 4) says: יָרָה בַיָם [meaning “to cast
down”]. [This] teaches us that they [the horse and rider] went up and [then]
descended into the deep, [i.e., they were thrown up and down]. [The meaning of יָרָה is here] similar to: “who laid (יָרָה) its cornerstone” (Job 38:6), [which
signifies laying the stone] from above, downward. — [from Mechilta, Tanchuma,
Beshallach 13]

2 The LORD is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will glorify Him; my father's God, and I will exalt Him.

We say this song by the sea every morning.

3 The LORD is a man of war, The LORD is His name.

They saw the battle of the Mitzrim.

4 Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath He cast into the sea, and
his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea. 5 The deeps cover them--they went
down into the depths like a stone. 6 Thy right hand, O LORD, glorious in power,
Thy right hand, O LORD, dashes in pieces the enemy. … 19 For the horses of Pharaoh
went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD
brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel walked
on dry land in the midst of the sea.

20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel
in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with
dances. 21 And Miriam sang unto them: Sing ye to the LORD, for He is highly
exalted: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.

This was one of the high points in the belief of the
people only surpassed by the Sinai experience.

22 And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out
into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and
found no water. 23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the
waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called
Marah. 24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying: 'What shall we drink?'
25 And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD showed him a tree, and he cast it
into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There He made for them a
statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them; 26 and He said: 'If thou
wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that
which is right in His eyes, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all
His statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon
the Egyptians; for I am the LORD that heals thee.'

Lack of water was a legitimate complaint for both man
and beast will die without drink.

27 And they came to Elim, where were twelve springs of water, and
three score and ten palm-trees; and they encamped there by the waters.

16:1 And they took their journey from Elim, and all the
congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which
is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their
departing out of the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the
children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness;
3 and the children of Israel said unto them: 'Would that we had died by the
hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, when we
did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness,
to kill this whole assembly with hunger.'

From Rabbi Barak Kochavi: The lack of bread to eat as a
basic minimum food was a just complaint for bread and water or in the case of
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, Carob and water can supply the nutritional value for
people to survive. (For we have seen Rabbi Eliyashiv and others in the previous
generation in Yerushalayim live on bread and an occasional egg and grow to live
over 100 years.) They had flocks and herds and this was an illegitimate
complain and we shall see that because of their welfare mentality instead of
supplying themselves, Amalek would

4 Then said the LORD unto Moses: 'Behold, I will cause to rain
bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's
portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or
not. 5 And it shall come to pass on the sixth day that they shall prepare that
which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.'

This is a very important difference between Kodesh and
Chol for everyday the Mann fell if left over would be wormy while on Friday it
fell in a double portion and was fresh for Shabbos.

6 And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel: 'At
even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of
Egypt; 7 and in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that
He hath heard your murmurings against the LORD; and what are we, that ye murmur
against us?' … 11 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 12 'I have heard the
murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak unto them, saying: At dusk ye shall
eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know
that I am the LORD your God.'

At dusk you shall eat but not be satisfied as this was
an unjust lust but in the morning requesting basics like Yacov [remember
clothing to wear and bread to eat] you will be blessed.

13 And it came to pass at even, that the quails came up, and
covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew round about the
camp. 14 And when the layer of dew was gone up, behold upon the face of the
wilderness a fine, scale-like thing, fine as the hoar-frost on the ground. 15 And
when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another: 'What is
it?'--for they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto them: 'It is the bread
which the LORD hath given you to eat. 16 This is the thing which the LORD hath
commanded: Gather ye of it every man according to his eating; an omer a head,
according to the number of your persons, shall ye take it, every man for them
that are in his tent.' 17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered some
more, some less. 18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered
much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered
every man according to his eating.

It did not matter if a large man gather his arms full
or a child a little less when they reached home to weigh it, it was an Omer per
person.

19 And Moses said unto them: 'Let no man leave of it till the
morning.' 20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them
left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and rotted; and Moses was
wroth with them. 21 And they gathered it morning by morning, every man
according to his eating; and as the sun waxed hot, it melted.

This was on a normal day and this happened every
weekday.

22 And it came to pass that on the sixth day they gathered twice as
much bread, two omers for each one; and all the rulers of the congregation came
and told Moses. 23 And he said unto them: 'This is that which the LORD hath
spoken: To-morrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath unto the LORD. Bake that
which ye will bake, and seethe that which ye will seethe; and all that remains
over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.' 24 And they laid it up till
the morning, as Moses bade; and it did not rot, neither was there any worm
therein. 25 And Moses said: 'Eat that to-day; for to-day is a Sabbath unto the
LORD; to-day ye shall not find it in the field. 26 Six days ye shall gather it;
but on the seventh day is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none.'

Although this is before Matan Torah at Sinai, this is
the preparation that shows the difference between the six days of creation and
Shabbos. Shabbos is a day unto the L-RD. The Mann and legendary Sabayon River
were proof of HASHEM’S Chashgacha. Yet each generation has their Datan and Amiran
or George Soros and J-Street who will make war on the Shabbos, the Torah and
Judaism in general.

27 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that there went out some
of the people to gather, and they found none.

There appears to have always been an anti-Shabbos
movement in Yisrael from the get-go. But in the end they lose out and perish
and Shabbos and Torah survive them. For the L-RD created heaven and earth in
six days and on the seventh HE rested! This is the whole rule of nature and
natural order of things!

28 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'How long refuse ye to keep My
commandments and My laws? 29 See that the LORD hath given you the Sabbath;
therefore He giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every
man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.'

THE FAILURE TO OBSERVE SHABBOS WHICH THE CREATOR
BLESSED IS WITH IS LIKE SPITTING IN THE CREATOR. ONE MUST REALIZE THE PURPOSE
OF THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND PURPOSE OF MANKIND IN IT AND NOT COME TO SIN.
Otherwise the individual is just a living breathing organism no better than a
cow, sheep or amoeba.

30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

The whole purpose of Shabbos was given to rest and
reflect on the service to HASHEM and what we should be doing.

31 And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna; and it
was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with
honey.

It was a tasty and nourishing food. I saw a film of a
part of Sinai where the Bedouins[RP1] claim
this to be the Mann and they gather it in the morning. It is a white thing that
grows overnight and lifts with the clearing of the fog.

32 And Moses said: 'This is the thing which the LORD hath
commanded: Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations; that they
may see the bread wherewith I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you
forth from the land of Egypt.' 33 And Moses said unto Aaron: 'Take a jar, and
put an omerful of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept
throughout your generations.' 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it
up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 And the children of Israel did eat the
manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat the manna,
until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. 36 Now an omer is the
tenth part of an ephah.

When we recover the lost Teva of HASHEM, we will be
able to view the Mann when HaCohain HaGadol opens the contents of the Aron.

17:1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed
from the wilderness of Sin, by their stages, according to the commandment of
the LORD, and encamped in Rephidim; and there was no water for the people to
drink. 2 Wherefore the people strove with Moses, and said: 'Give us water that
we may drink.' And Moses said unto them: 'Why strive ye with me? wherefore do
ye try the LORD?' 3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people
murmured against Moses, and said: 'Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of
Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?'

Instead of complaining unto Moshe and murmuring again,
they should have prayed unto HASHEM with repentance and supplication. But they
were fickle and weak in their belief. What is this like to a newly wed who
praised his wife every day that he got a tasty meal. But one day she was
delayed and in her haste burnt the food. Instead of saying, “Darling did you
have a bad day?” He went into a tirade against her. So the wife became enraged
against her groom and in our case HASHEM is the groom who provides and Am
Yisrael the bride on Shabbos.

4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying: 'What shall I do unto this
people? they are almost ready to stone me.' 5 And the LORD said unto Moses:
'Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy
rod, wherewith thou smote the river, take in thy hand, and go. 6 Behold, I will
stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock,
and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.' And Moses did
so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And the name of the place was called
Massah, and Meribah, because of the striving of the children of Israel, and
because they tried the LORD, saying: 'Is the LORD among us, or not?'

Another complaint and this time the punishment.

8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses
said unto Joshua: 'Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I
will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.' 10 So Joshua
did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur
went up to the top of the hill. 11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his
hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him,
and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one
side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the
going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the
edge of the sword. 14 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Write this for a memorial
in the book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly blot out
the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.' 15 And Moses built an altar, and
called the name of it Adonai-nissi. 16 And he said: 'The hand upon the throne
of the LORD: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.'

This was the first nation that dared attack the Bnei
Yisrael but not the last and we will not forget the Destruction, Inquisition or
the Shoah and “On THAT DAY” we shall see what happens to all the nations.

Though I [Rabbi
Aaron L. Raskin] was just a teenager, I'll never forget the day I was sitting
at ULY (United Lubavitch Yeshiva, in Brooklyn) when my English teacher, George
Landberg, put down his chalk and interrupted the lecture. He was a fine
teacher. Usually he liked to talk to us about literary things like onomatopoeia
in poems or characters in fiction. But that day he told us an amazing story
that was not fiction, but pure fact. A real miracle of tefillin had occurred to
real people…him and his tragically blind son, Daniel.

Daniel Landberg was born in
1973 with normal eyesight. New York State law at that time required the eyes of
all newborns to be treated, as a prophylactic measure against infection, with a
one percent silver nitrate solution while still in the hospital. An
inexperienced nurse's assistant, on duty in the delivery room that day, picked up
a stick of silver nitrate intended for cleaning the area of the umbilical cord,
a medication seventy times stronger than the one percent intended for
ophthalmologic use and highly corrosive, and tragically used it on Daniel's
eyes. As a result, both the infant's eyes were burned by the chemical solution,
his skin scarred, and his eyelashes gone. Worst of all, he was blinded.

For three weeks, Daniel
remained in the hospital, receiving antibiotic treatments and getting tests
from one specialist after another in an attempt to cure him. None of the
doctors believed Daniel's sight would return. To make matters worse, each was
more callous than the next in their treatment of the frantic parents. Why was
this couple even bothering? It was clear their child would forever e blind.

A window of hope opened
when Dr. Albert Hornblass took up their case, though not quite in the way the
Landbergs expected. Dr. Hornblass was an ophthalmologist who, two years
earlier, had returned from Vietnam, was an expert in chemical burns and,
importantly, an observant Jew.(1) Hornblass applied himself to Daniel's case
with a prognosis for healing that others had ignored. He wrote to the Center
for Disease Control in Washington and obtained their permission to treat Daniel
with steroids that had not yet been approved.(2)

He also took a more
personal interest in Daniel's healing, suggesting more spiritual, Jewish
channels of healing. In particular, he shared with the couple how a healing
from G-d had occurred for him, personally. His own father had suffered a heart
attack, and the prognosis was very, very bad. A religious man, he wrote to the
Lubvitcher Rebbe asking for a berachah. He received one, and within a week, his
father was cured. Might not the Landbergs do the same?

Fortunately, the means to
implement the doctor's suggestion were close at hand. George already had a
connection to Lubavitch, having worked at ULY for ten years, and his bosf and
principal, Rabbi Tenenbaum, had personal access to the Rebbe. Landberg asked
Tenenbaum to approach the Rebbe. Tenenbaum agreed and in no time was
face-to-face with the Rebbe in private audience, beseeching him on Daniel's
behalf.

The Rebbe gave his blessing

One week later, the
Landbergs got a call from Dr. Hornblass in the hospital, "I'm witnessing a
miracle," he told them, "I'm watching all the conjunctiva and stain
ooze out of Daniel's eyes. I dare say I'm confident his vision will
return!" Indeed, within a short time, Daniel was no longer blind.

The Rebbe didn't exact any
payment or thanks, but Rabbi Tenenbaum pursued Landberg. "You owe
us," he asserted. "Now you must lay tefillin every day!"

A first, Landberg was
stunned; he didn't have the mitzvah of tefillin anywhere on his personal
spiritual radar, so it was unfamiliar to him.
But he was a good father, and he saw an inkling of what Tenenbaum was after. No
matter how skeptical he was, he observed. The road to medically ensure Daniel's
newfound sight was a long and often hard one, but through it all, every day,
George Landberg laid tefillin.

Daniel was only six months
old when he developed cysts on his cornea, a condition that would require
surgery. But Dr. Hornblass had strong feelings against it. The child had so
many steroids in his system, anesthesia would be risky. He delayed the surgery.
Then one night, little Daniel rubbed his eyes in his sleep and broke the cysts.
NO surgery was necessary.

As a preschooler, Daniel,
like all small children, touched everything around him, including the floor and
his eyes. As a result, the Landbergs were constantly at the eye doctor for
treatment of eye infections, some so severe they oozed pus.

When Daniel was ten, a
different sort of cyst developed on his eyelid that would affect the shape of
his cornea. Surgery was required. When the surgeons went to remove the cyst,
they also removed a great deal of scar tissue on the underside of his eyelid,
further relieving the pressure on his cornea and improving his vision.

Years passed. Today Daniel
is in his forties. His vision isn't perfect, but it is amazingly good, and the
only physical damage remaining is a scar on the cornea of his right eye. He
drives a car, coaches high school football, and has a child of his own. What's
more, Daniel lays tefillin every day and is passing his connection to the
mitzvah to his young son. He knows, without questions, that health and tefillin
go together.

"We do feel it was all
miraculous," Rita Landberg, Daniel's mother, concludes. There was this
special berachah. It was miraculous that we found Dr. Hornblass and had a
connection to Rabbi Tenenbaum, and that he, in turn, got a private audience
with the Rebbe. Tefillin will always be intertwined with Daniel's wellbeing.
There is no doubt his health is directly connected to the mitzvah."

I can attest that what Rita
Landberg says is true. The mitzvah of tefillin is directly caught up with her
family's health and wellbeing. I heard at school one day that George Landberg
had fallen down the stairs at home and injured himself. Had he put on tefillin
that day? No. He'd skipped it! He went right back up the stairs and put it on.
Never again did he miss a day.

Thus, it was my English
fiction teacher who taught me a Torah fact. When we observe the mtizvos
assiduously, carefully, and without fail, we ourselves bring down enough power
to transform darkness, quite literally, into light.

Notes:
1. For another story in this email series with Dr Hornglass that occurred
several decades later, EYE FOR EYE.
2. The entire story of Daniel's amazing recovery wad documented by Dr.
Hornglass in 1976 in the New York State Journal of Medicine; it is archived
only at the NYU Health Sciences Library, reference cited as: New York State
Journal of Medicine. Hornblass; October, 1976; Issue II; "Sever silver
nitrate ocular damage: in newborn nursery"; pp. I,875-8. [Many state
statutes requiring treating newborns' eyes with 1% silver nitrate have been
changed in favor of less caustic treatments with fewer chances for error.
Silver nitrate as treatment was a law in place for a century prior; cases like
Daniel's over the course of many years influenced this change in medical
policy.]

This
happened in 5745 (1985 C.E.), when Mrs. Chaya-Rivka Hoenig, the oldest daughter
of Rabbi Yitzchak-Dovid Grossman, the famous chief Rabbi of Migdal HaEmek in
northern Israel, was 16 1/2 years old. One Friday, when she returned home for
Shabbat from Beit Chana High School in Tsfat, her parents noticed that her
right eye was swollen. She told them it was also painful.

At
first her parents didn't think this was something to particularly worry about.
They assumed it was a minor infection that would soon go away. But the swelling
continued to increase, and her eye started to drip blood and ooze pus.* They
rushed her to the emergency room and subsequently to each of the local eye
doctors, but none of them were able to diagnose the cause of the problem.
Instead they referred them to more expert doctors in the nearest large city,
Haifa. But the doctors there too were at a loss how to help her, and sent them
onward to a medical center in Tel Aviv. Weeks after that they went to Israel's
leading hospital, Hadassah in the Ein Kerem district of Jerusalem, but there
too no solution was found. Meanwhile the condition of her eye steadily
worsened.

Several
of the specialists they visited proffered explanations, but they conflicted one
with the other. One proposed that the root of the problem was a malfunction in
the eye itself. Another thought it to be a form of skin disease, while a third
claimed it must be the result of an allergy. All agreed that the damage was
very serious and that she would probably lose all vision in that eye.

For
seven months the girl suffered from severe pain, and the whole time her eye
continued to deteriorate.

Soon
thereafter Rabbi Grossman flew to the USA on behalf of his Migdal Ohr
educational institutions and charitable organizations. When he shared the pain
of his daughter's situation with one of his friends in New York, the latter
recommended that he seek a consultation with Dr. Albert Hornblass, a Jewish
doctor in New Jersey who was an internationally known ophthalmologist of good
reputation, and chairman of the Ophthalmologic Surgery department at New York's
Eye, Ear and Throat hospital.

Rabbi
Grossman arranged an appointment. He related to the doctor the background of
his daughter's eye problem, and showed him the copies of the medical records
from Hadassah-Ein Kerem that he had brought from Israel. The specialist was
warm towards him, but explained he couldn't possibly provide a diagnosis
without seeing the eye itself. So the rabbi immediately purchased a ticket for
his daughter, and by 6AM the next morning she had already landed at JFK
International Airport.

When
he met her, after they exchanged greetings, her next words were a request to go
immediately to see the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Her
father complied. As soon as they reached Brooklyn from the airport, they
hurried over to 770 Eastern Parkway, Lubavitch international headquarters and
the location of its main synagogue and yeshiva, as well as the Rebbe's office,
arriving there only a few minutes before the Rebbe was due to appear for the
morning prayer service.

They
were not the only ones. Both sides of the lane leading to the entrance were
packed with people anticipating the opportunity to see the Rebbe at close
range, and maybe even to be noticed by him. Rabbi Grossman and his daughter
joined the crowd.

Finally
the car chauffeured by one of the secretariat parked in front, and the Rebbe
stepped out from the back seat. At that moment Rabbi Grossman determined to
request the Rebbe's blessing, even though this was not a time or occasion when
the Rebbe interacted with his Chasidim or other visitors. As the Rebbe
approached the entrance, Rabbi Grossman brazenly jumped in front of him and blocked
the path! "What won't a father do for his daughter?" he shrugged in
retrospect.

"Rebbe!"
he cried out with great emotion. He gestured with his hand. "Here is my
daughter. The one I wrote to you about with the eye problem. She very much
needs the Rebbe's blessing for a complete healing."

The
Rebbe already knew about the eye problem of Chaya-Rivka Grossman. He had
received by mail several reports and requests for a blessing over the course of
the year. He looked over to where she was standing and briefly glanced at her
damaged eye. In less than a second he turned to Rabbi Grossman and said,
"Immediately do a mezuzah check, and may she have an immediate
complete recovery. And may you merit to raise her to a life of Torah, Jewish
marriage and good deeds."

Rabbi
Grossman called out "Amen v'Amen!" and ran for the nearest public
telephone as soon as the Rebbe passed from sight. He told his wife what the
Rebbe had said and that she should try to summon right away the expert sofer
(scribe) whom they always use, and he should minutely examine all the mezuzahs
in the house.

Rabbi
Grossman returned to "770" to pray in the Rebbe's minyan. At
the same time, his wife,succeeded to contact the sofer and explain to him the
urgency of an immediate visit.

It
did not take long to discover the problem. An entire word was blotted out from
one of the mezuzahs! Which word? "Ainecha"-"your
eyes," in the verse, "and they [the words in the head-tefilin]
should be for an ornament between your eyes (Deut. 6:8, 11:18). The scribe
immediately replaced the defective mezuzah with a high-quality one that
he had brought with him, just in case.

After
the prayers, Rabbi Grossman went to meet his daughter at the "Ess 'n
Bentch" restaurant across Kingston Avenue. "Abba
('Dad')," she said excitedly; "what is going on with my eye?"

"What
do you mean?" he worried.

"I
sense that something is happening. It feels like it doesn't hurt as much."

Rabbi
Grossman, who did not yet know the results of the scribal inspection, looked at
her eye, but couldn't see any change. He suggested to her that she go back to
the apartment where they were staying and rest from her long all-night journey.
"In the afternoon," he added, "we have an appointment with the
doctor."

After
a long nap, she reported happily that her eye didn't hurt any more. Rabbi
Grossman looked, and indeed the swelling was almost entirely gone. Chaya-Rivka
suggested they not bother traveling to the doctor, but her father insisted they
should still go.

In
the doctor's office, Rabbi Grossman presented Chaya-Rivka to Dr. Ornblatt and
handed to him the folder of her medical records, which now included the results
of the most recent examinations which she had brought with her. The doctor
looked at her eye and at the X-rays and the charts of examinations and test
results in her thick folder. Then he looked at both again, even more carefully.
"I can't understand this," he said wonderingly. The condition of her
eye as I see it now is pretty much normal. It does not match at all the
descriptions in this folder. Yet there are CAT scan results here that are dated
just a few days ago, showing swelling, bleeding and pus. How can that be?"

Rabbi
Grossman, who by then had heard about the invalid mezuzah in Migdal
HaEmek, told the doctor the whole story about the Rebbe's blessing and the mezuzah
checking. The doctor's eyes bulged. "We have witnessed an actual
miracle!" he exclaimed.

Day
by day her eye continued to improve. She returned to Israel, while Rabbi
Grossman remained in USA.

Weeks
passed. At a major Chasidic farbrengen (gathering) with the Lubavitcher
Rebbe, during an intermission between talks while the crowd was singing soulful
Chasidic tunes with great passion, Rabbi Grossman approached the dais and asked
the Rebbe for a blessing that he should be successful in his mission in
America.

"Amen!"
said the Rebbe. And then immediately added, "Is your daughter
alright?"

"Much
much better," said the happy father, and asked for a blessing for her too.

"She
should get even better," responded the Rebbe. "Completely better."

And,
of course, that is exactly what happened.

Eighteen
years later, in 2003, Rabbi Grossman was in New Jersey as the Guest of Honor at
a local Jewish community event. When he entered the synagogue on Shabbat Day, a
congregant wearing a tallit (prayer shawl) jumped from his seat, ran to
him, hugged and kissed him with enthusiasm and then started crying. Rabbi
Grossman felt a bit embarrassed because as hard as he tried, he couldn't place
who this man was, although he did seem a bit familiar.

The
man noticed his confusion and announced, "I am Dr. Hornblass, the eye
doctor who saw with my own eyes the miracle that occurred for your daughter
through the blessing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Since then I am continually
aware with clear knowledge that there is G-D."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source:
Transcribed and adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from a speech by Rabbi Y. D.
Grossman at a dinner in the Emperion Hall in Tsfat on the eve of Gimmel Tammuz
5774 (June 30,2014 C.E.) in honor of the 20th yahrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
(n.d., z.y.a). Supplemented with a few details from an 8-minute JEM video of
Rabbi Grossman telling the story (in Hebrew, with English subtitles) a few
years ago --
http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/livingtorah/player_cdo/aid/2111305/jewish/Seeing-is-Believing.htm
.

*
Editor's note:
Other renditions of the story contain a quite different and more frightening
description of the eye problem, based on details supplied by other family
members, but I thought it appropriate to stick with what I heard with my own
ears from Rabbi Grossman himself.

Biographical
notes (in order of appearance):
Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman, chief rabbi of Migdal Ha'Emek since 1969 at age
23, is a sixth generation Jerusalemite. He is a member of the Chief Rabbinate
Council and a recipient of the Israel Prize and many other prestigious
government awards for his successful efforts to bridge the gap between the
religious and secular populations in Israel (thus his nickname from 40 years
ago, the Disco Rabbi). His Migdal Ohr educational institutions and charitable
organizations in Migdal Emek service thousands of underprivileged and at-risk
children and teenagers.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe: [11 Nissan 5662 - 3
Tammuz 5754 (April 1902 - June 1994 C.E.)], became the seventh Rebbe of the
Chabad dynasty after his father-in-law's passing on 10 Shvat 5710 (1950 C.E.).
He is widely acknowledged as the greatest Jewish leader of the second half of
the 20th century. Although a dominant scholar in both the revealed and hidden
aspects of Torah and fluent in many languages and scientific subjects, the
Rebbe is best known for his extraordinary love and concern for every Jew on the
planet. His emissaries around the globe dedicated to strengthening Judaism
number in the thousands. Hundreds of volumes of his teachings have been
printed, as well as dozens of English renditions.

With Obama and Kerry, they took their time. I saw of
photo of the almost row boat that captured the two PT boats twice their size we
are not being told the whole story and how does somebody with GPS going on a
coastal route end up by an Island miles from the coast? http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4753621,00.html